This event shared insights gained from Cities4Forests on the implication of forests and green infrastructure for water benefits at 3 scales: inner forests which regulate stormwater and reduce flooding risk, nearby forests which ensure the downstream provision of clean drinking water, and faraway forests which produce rainfall for the world’s farm belts. Cities4Forests – a voluntary coalition of 60 global cities involving mayors’ offices and supported by other subnational agencies such as water utilities and offices of sustainability – encourages city governments and urban residents to recognize the importance of green infrastructure to human well-being, and thereby better incorporate their conservation, restoration and protection into city development plans, programs and investments. Water access, security and management are benefits that all cities and people globally derive from natural infrastructure. Through first-hand presentations from city leadership, the Cities4Forests Secretariat, and partners, as well as a facilitated discussion with the audience, the event provided a new avenue through which municipal leaders, practitioners and financial institutions were able to learn from city experiences, explore opportunities for partnership, evaluate investment pipelines, and take away tangible steps for increased action for water security and human wellbeing.

Programme Schedule

14:00

Welcome by Moderator Todd Gartner, Director, Cities4Forests and Natural Infrastructure Initiative, World Resources Institute

14:05

Cities4Forests Overview Todd Gartner, Director, Cities4Forests and Natural Infrastructure Initiative, World Resources Institute

14:15

Panel Discussion on the Role of Trees, Forests and Green Infrastructure for Urban Water Security

• • Gabriela Morales, Manager of Water and Urban Resilience, WRI México
  • Tad Bohannon, Chief Executive Officer, Central Arkansas Water, Little Rock, USA
  • Claudia María Buitrago Restrepo, Director, Department of Environmental Management, City of Santiago de Cali, Colombia
  • Michael Brown, Environmental Finance Manager, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco, USA
  • Greg Browder, Global Lead for Water Security, World Bank

14:50

Q&A with Audience and Panellists Facilitator: Todd Gartner

15:25

Summary and Wrap-up by moderator

15:30

End of session